Dougherty County Government

In 1853, Dougherty County was created out of Baker County by the Georgia Legislature. It was named for Judge Charles Dougherty of Athens. Portions of Worth County were transferred to Dougherty County in 1854 and 1856. Many of the original buildings remain and some have been restored and are in use today. Quail plantations are famous in the area and date back to the founding of Albany. Dougherty County is recognized for its quail and duck hunting, fishing, the Flint River and many cypress swamps. The County contains 326 square miles of land area with a 2010 census population of 94,565 persons.

Dougherty County's mission is to improve the quality of life for all our citizens by being accessible and good stewards of our resources while delivering cost-effective, responsive services with integrity, fairness, and friendliness. Our municipality, the City of Albany, prides itself on being a City of Excellence and is known as the "Good Life City."

Our County has two institutions of higher education, Albany State University and Albany Technical College. Notable points of interests include the Albany Museum of Art, the Flint RiverQuarium; the Albany Civil Rights Institute; the Parks at Chehaw, one of Georgia's two accredited zoos; Radium Springs Gardens; and Thronateeska Heritage Center, which includes the Museum of History, Wetherbee Planetarium, and the Science Discovery Center. We welcome you to discover more about our area's historic sites and attractions. Be sure to view the Choose Albany videos developed by the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission.

Thank you for visiting us; please learn more about Dougherty County government by clicking on the links on the left.